Before leaving his hotel to perform on a warm day in the South Korean capital of Seoul, the Welsh bass-baritone opted to wear a pair of shorts. But, his mind no doubt on the performance ahead, he unfortunately forgot to pack his trousers.Arriving at the venue with only minutes before he was due on stage there was no time to return to the hotel, and Terfel was left with the prospect of singing in his shorts. However, fortune smiled on the singer. When he appealed for help one good-natured Korean opera lover agreed to the odd request of equipping 6ft 4 ins Terfel with an alternative pair.
Speaking to Shân Cothi, a soprano and presenter on the Welsh language television channel S4C, Terfel explained: "One can be a bit forgetful on the day of a concert – and I forgot my trousers at the hotel. "But what could I do? Tell the audience 'I'm sorry, but I have to wear my shorts'?" he recalled. However, he said by a stroke of luck he managed to find someone with almost exactly the same build.
"There was one person there who happened to be the same height and size as me. And if there was ever a pair of trousers that fits like a glove – that's the one." Terfel handed back the trousers at the end of the concert, at which nobody noticed anything was awry, and went back to his hotel in his shorts. The 43-year-old would have been relieved that his trouser donor enabled him to avoid the embarrassment of going on stage half-dressed, or having to postpone or cancel the concert.
In September 2007 he faced severe criticism for deciding to withdraw from performing as Wotan in Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Royal Opera House. He pulled out after just one day of rehearsals because his youngest son had a broken finger, leading some to question his professionalism. A professional opera singer for most of his adult life, Terfel was initially regarded as something of a Mozart specialist before branching out into heavier roles, particularly Wagner. He made his operatic debut as Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and in the title role of the composer's The Marriage of Figaro, at the Welsh National Opera in 1990. Just two years later the singer made his Covent Garden debut as Masetto in Don Giovanni. He was named Male Artist of the Year in 2004 at the Classical Brit Awards and won a Grammy in 2007 for Best Classical Crossover Album.
Terfel has increasingly performed abroad but his busy work schedule has often been at odds with his desire for a quiet home life. He lives with his wife Lesley and their three sons in a village near Caernarvon in North Wales.
In September 2007 he faced severe criticism for deciding to withdraw from performing as Wotan in Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Royal Opera House. He pulled out after just one day of rehearsals because his youngest son had a broken finger, leading some to question his professionalism. A professional opera singer for most of his adult life, Terfel was initially regarded as something of a Mozart specialist before branching out into heavier roles, particularly Wagner. He made his operatic debut as Guglielmo in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and in the title role of the composer's The Marriage of Figaro, at the Welsh National Opera in 1990. Just two years later the singer made his Covent Garden debut as Masetto in Don Giovanni. He was named Male Artist of the Year in 2004 at the Classical Brit Awards and won a Grammy in 2007 for Best Classical Crossover Album.
Terfel has increasingly performed abroad but his busy work schedule has often been at odds with his desire for a quiet home life. He lives with his wife Lesley and their three sons in a village near Caernarvon in North Wales.This is, of course, way different than Kiri TeKanawa's lawsuit a few years ago...
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